Read the full article by Gillian Pomplun (SW News)
“BELL CENTER – Governor Tony Evers and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announced on July 20 that they have filed a lawsuit against three Wisconsin manufacturers and 15 other defendants for ‘wrongful, deceptive, and tortious conduct’ that led directly to PFAS contamination of Wisconsin’s water, property, and natural resources. Parties named in the suit include Tyco Fire Products, Chemguard, 3M, DuPont, and others
The complaint, authorized by Governor Evers and filed in Dane County by the Attorney General Kaul and Wisconsin Department of Justice, alleges the defendants knew or should have known that the ordinary and intended use of their products would lead to the dangerous impacts on public health and the environment now being experienced across Wisconsin. State taxpayers are currently facing enormous costs to address PFAS contamination, costs the lawsuit alleges should be borne by those responsible for their presence throughout the state.
NRB’s failure to act
This effort has been stimulated by the widespread nature of PFAS contamination throughout the State of Wisconsin, the need for funding to help remediate the problems, and the failure of the Natural Resources Board (NRB) to set a health standard for PFAS in groundwater in the state.
At a contentious meeting on February 23, the NRB adopted a standard of 70 parts-per-trillion (ppt) for drinking water from municipal water systems. For surface waters, the levels set are 8 ppt for PFOS, and 20 ppt for PFOA in public water supply waters, and 95 ppt in non-public water supply areas. In all cases, Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DNR) recommended a standard of 20 ppt.
While standards were set for municipal water supplies, and surface water, the failure to set a groundwater standard leaves rural citizens who rely on water from private wells with no recourse.” …